Aurora Central faces another 1st-time regional winner
Two area girls basketball teams with contrasting traditions both survived regional play this past week to keep their seasons alive and advance to sectional play next week.
One of them, Geneva, is used to it, in the sectional for the third straight year and fourth in last seven. The other, Aurora Central, has nothing to lose after beating Rosary 49-45 Thursday for the first regional championship in the program’s 36-year history.
Every win the 19-9 Chargers get adds to their school record for victories. Just two years ago, Aurora Central only won 3 games.
The Chargers will get back on the court first when they play Belvidere North at 7:30 p.m. Monday. The Blue Thunder bring a 20-8 record after their 74-43 victory over Marengo Friday night.
Cetrena Simmons scored 28 points to lead Belvidere North who, like Aurora Central, also won its first regional title.
Chargers coach Mark Fitzgerald watched a tape of Belvidere Saturday night and expects a fast-paced attack.
“If we can take care of the ball against the full court press and play our game when we are running our offense I feel we can compete with them,” Fitzgerald said. “Our team needs to stay calm and focused and play tough defense.”
Aurora Central counters with its “Big Three.” All juniors, Jacqui Cardona, Ashley Wilk and Katilyn Rosa combine for 35.3 points a game — or 76 percent of the team’s offense.
The silky smooth Cardona leads the way at 15.1 points a game. She scored 22 in Thursday’s win over Rosary.
Cardona has made 40 of the team’s 59 3-pointers and also leads the Chargers in assists (37) and steals (32). She can penetrate and get to the basket, evidenced by her 161 free throw attempts that she’s converting at a 73 percent clip.
“She is one of the most talented basketball players that I have had the privilege to coach in my 19 years of doing this,” Fitzgerald said. “There is no doubt that her team looks to her to go to that extra gear in times of stress during the game and she responds time after time.”
Cardona is the second leading scorer in ACC history with 803 points. In her senior season she could pass 2001 graduate Andrea Taylor, who later played in college at Air Force.
Wilk follows Cardona in scoring at 10.6 points a game. She stepped up with a career-high 22 points in the regional semifinal victory against Sandwich.
Rosa, the Chargers’ leading rebounder at 7.1 a game, is just under double figures scoring at 9.6 while shooting 52 percent from the field and 70 percent at the line. Her leadership skills are invaluable to the team, said Fitzgerald. One example came during her sophomore season when Rosa separated her shoulder against Wheaton Academy and finished the game.
Alex DeCraene (4.4 ppg) and Katherine Chandler (.6 ppg) round out the starting lineup.
The winner faces a likely roadblock in Thursday’s sectional championship game with 31-1 Montini a heavy favorite. The Lady Broncos play 27-2 Hampshire on Tuesday in the other semifinal.